Search

Fully screen‐printed silver and copper temperature sensors were studied up to 100°C. The influence of the processing conditions and the composition of three silver and one copper commercial inks is analyzed in this study. The curing temperature is extremely relevant to stabilize the initial resistance of silver sensors, especially for those printed with the lowest solid content ink. All printed sensors showed good linear behavior in the range of 25–100°C (R2 > 0.999) except for those fabricated with the lowest solid content silver ink, which also displayed the highest hysteresis and drift. The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) obtained for the copper sensors was 3.367 × 10−3 K−1 and for the three silver sensors, it ranged between 2.723 × 10−3 to 2.963 × 10−3 K−1. This TCR is higher than values reported for inkjet‐printed resistive temperature detectors. Overall, this work demonstrates that low‐cost, linear, screen‐printed temperature sensors can be successfully fabricated on flexible substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of East China University of Science & Technology is the property of Journal of East China University of Science & Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We present an overview of SERIS' monoPoly technology on screen‐printed, M2‐size (244.4 cm2) n‐type bifacial silicon solar cells with a rear n+:poly‐Si/SiOx passivating contact stack, where the SiOx and n+:poly‐Si layers are fabricated by single‐side inline plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). We demonstrate the application of these stacks on thin (~110 μm) silicon wafers, giving an excellent open‐circuit voltage of 707 mV and an externally verified cell efficiency of 23.2% using commercial screen‐printed and fire‐through metal pastes. A detailed power analysis is presented, with a breakdown of the voltage and current losses. Finally, we share the progress on standard wafers with an efficiency of 23.8% achieved and present the outlook for this technology with a selective passivating contact stack at the front and a full‐area passivating contact stack at the rear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fully screen-printed process for low-cost manufacturing significantly enhances the commercial competitiveness of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, the controllable crystallization in screen-printed perovskite thin films using high - viscosity ionic liquids has been suggested to be difficult, which hampers further development of fully screen-printed perovskite devices in terms of application expansion and performance improvement. Here, we report a synergistic ripening strategy to fully control crystallization by employing methylamine propionate (MAPa) ionic liquid and water (H2O, moisture in the air). We found that a reversible and sustainable ripening process was activated by integrating MAPa/H2O in both externally and internally into perovskite crystals. MAPa effectively prevents the loss of organic salts and maintains the dispersion of Pb-I framework, preventing the perovskite component loss and decomposition. H2O and organic salts trends to form hydration complexes, which lowers the energy barrier and enhances the reactivity of the humidity-induced Ostwald ripening reaction. These improvements allow the perovskite films achieve controlled secondary growth, reducing defects and optimizing energy level alignment. The resulting fully screen-printed PSCs exhibits a record power conversion efficiency of 19.47% and an operational stability over 1,000 h with maintaining 91.6% of the highest efficiency under continuous light stress at maximum power point., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

There is increased usage of flexible electronics recently in various applications such as wearable devices, flexible displays and sensors. Studies on the durability of conductive metal traces under cyclic mechanical loading is crucial since these conductors will be subjected to repeated bending. In this work, the mechanical and electrical behavior of silver printed conductors was tested using cyclic three-point bend test. The samples were flexible polymer thick film (PTF) silver (Ag) ink printed on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. The durability of this PTF Ag ink, which has a hyper-elastic binder and Ag flakes, was studied by performing cyclic bending tests. Four-point resistivity measurements and imaging of the sample both before and after bending were performed. A custom tester machine was used to apply strain to the circuit and measure the resistivity of the silver trace. The results of the bending test show that the silver trace does not undergo significant deformation and the change in resistance is less than 0.6% under both tensile and compressive tests. Fatigue tests were also performed by cyclic bending tests for three trials in which batches of 10,000 cycles were completed. The printed silver wire withstood 30,000 cycles of bend tests and produced only 2.64% change in resistance. This indicates that the printed wires are very durable even after 30,000 cycles of outer bending. Imaging was also conducted on these samples to study the effect of repeated bending on the morphology of the silver conductive trace. Although there was an increase in surface roughness before and after cyclic bending, there was no obvious deformation or delamination observed in the samples.

As the key component of aero-engines and industrial gas turbines, a bearing's working temperature at high speed is close to 300   ℃ . The measurement of an engine bearing's temperature is of great significance to ensure flight safety. In this study, we present a wireless LC conformal temperature sensor for bearing temperatures, which integrates silver on the bearing surface in situ through a screen-printing process. This process makes Ag film (9912-K FL) firmly adhere to the bearing surface and realizes wireless measurements for bearing temperatures in situ. A high-temperature holding experiment of the prepared sensor was conducted, and the results showed that the sensor can work stably for 10 h at 300   ℃ . We tested the designed wireless LC conformal temperature sensor at 20 – 270   ℃ . The results showed that the proposed temperature sensor attained as good accuracy and stability in the temperature range 20 – 270   ℃ . The sensitivity of the temperature measurements was 20.81   KHz / ℃   when the bearing rotateds, the maximum repeatability was 0.039 % , the maximum uncertainty was 0.081 % , and the relative error was stable within   0.08 % . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Passivation quality limited by the damage to the interfacial oxide layer. • Sheet resistance limited by maximum solid solubility in polysilicon. • Passivation deteriorates with increasing dopant density at the poly-Si– iO x interface. • Metal contacts exhibit strong dependence on layer thickness and surface morphology. • J 0,pass ≈ 3.8 fA/cm2 and J 0,metal ≈ 98±4 fA/cm2achieved on planar surface. In this work we have analyzed the doping, passivation and contact properties of boron-doped (p +) polysilicon (poly-Si) layers to understand the two key limiting factors for industrial adoption of p + poly-Si based passivated contacts: challenges with diffusion and challenges with screen-printed, fire-through (FT) metallization. Investigation of test samples with ex-situ doped poly-Si layers of varying thickness and surface morphologies revealed that sheet resistance (R sheet) and passivation quality in ex-situ doped poly-Si are limited by the maximum solid solubility of boron in silicon, and possible damage to the interfacial silicon oxide (iO x) layer and increased Auger recombination at high diffusion temperatures, respectively. An interesting correlation is found between the maximum dopant density at the interface and the J 0,pass , with the latter increasing with increasing dopant density. The contacts to p+ poly-Si layers are formed with commercially available FT Ag/Al pastes by screen printing process. Metal contact properties strongly depend on the surface morphology and thickness of poly-Si layer. Lower contact resistivity was achieved on textured surface with thickest poly-Si layers, while lowest recombination under metal contacts was achieved with planar surface with thickest poly-Si layer. Further microstructure analysis of metallized interfaces using Scanning electron microscope shows partial etching of thick (220 nm) poly-Si layers and near complete etching of thin (20 nm) poly-Si layers by FT Ag-Al pastes. Using optimized doping and contact conditions, excellent surface passivation in unmetallized regions (J 0,pass of 3.8 fA/cm2), contact resistivities as low as 1.2 ± 0.8 mΩ-cm2 and recombination current densities under the metal contacts of 155 ± 10 fA/cm2 are achieved on textured and planar samples respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present 22.5% efficient large area (M2), n-type rear junction biPoly™ solar cells featuring selective poly-Si based passivation on the front and full area poly-Si on the rear side. The metal contacts to the selective poly-Si fingers on the front are formed by screen-printing fire-through Ag paste. Two different approaches are compared for the contact formation on the rear side – using fire-through silver-aluminium paste are and non-fire –through Al paste. Prior to the screen-printing the Al paste, laser is used to pattern the local contact openings (LCO) wherein the Al paste alloys with the c-Si substrate during high temperature firing forming contacts. The impact of the LCO pitch, Si content in Al paste and the firing temperature is studied by meticulously designed experiments. We further develop a 3 dimensional model of the biPoly™ solar cells and try to explain the trends observed in the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using an easy screen-printing process, we fabricated a flexible silver-coated polyurethane based dry electrocardiogram (ECG) electrode that was readily embedded into stretchable garment for ECG recording, and showed its robustness to motion. The electrical and mechanical characteristics of the proposed dry electrode were first assessed by benchtop measurement in terms of DC resistance in repeated washings and stretches and AC skin contact impedance. To assess the level of motion artifacts during the daily monitoring, single-lead ECGs with the dry electrode integrated garment were recorded during fast walking, twisting waist, climbing stairs, and seated rest in eight healthy adults. We evaluated the recorded R wave amplitude, signal to noise ratio (SNR), signal to artifact ratio (SAR), and positive predictive value (PPV) of R wave detection, and compared them to those of conventional Ag/AgCl electrodes. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed dry electrode preserves its electrical properties and functionality for up to 40 washing cycles. Meanwhile, dry electrodes of the stretchable garment are more robust to motion artifacts, mainly attributed to the stable skin-contact and anti-artefact configurations of the wearable monitoring system, which is comparable or better than that of conventional gelled wet electrodes. Additionally, a seven-day continuous wearability test showed that the quality of the ECG signal did not degrade over time, and skin reactions such as itching or erythema were not observed. We recommend the proposed dry electrode and the developed stretchable ECG monitoring garment in applications where flexibility, comfort and durability are required in addition to good electrical characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advents in flexible and smart technology like wearable electronics have accelerated the demand for high‐performance energy‐storage devices. These devices could significantly reduce the size of the next‐generation wearable smart electronics. A selection of suitable printing technology and its product typically offer a reasonable manufacturing pathway like high deposition rate, low materials waste, scalable fabrication, and high‐performance production. Therefore, the production of novel functional inks with desirable rheological properties that authorize high‐resolution printing, are some major challenges of this technology. This work has an emphasis on the recent advancements in supporting and utilizing liquid metals chemistry to synthesis high‐quality and scalable 2D nanomaterials by liquid‐phase free exfoliation and facile sonication‐assisted methods. These are novel concepts in synthesizing 2D nanomaterials particularly for those which either have not intrinsic layered crystal structures or those with strong interaction between their crystal layers which are difficult to synthesized using conventional approaches. It also provides some potentials to make sustainable ink formulation of such 2D nanostructures for the fabrication of high‐quality screen‐printed patterns for sustainable energy applications. Subsequently, it deals with the possibilities and challenges of printing such 2D nanomaterials (namely, 2D metal oxides) for micro‐supercapacitor and micro‐battery applications on an industrially viable scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, cobalt oxides functionalized MoS2/reduced graphene oxide was synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal approach. Morphology and crystal structure of this ternary nanoarchitecture were characterized through scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An ultrasensitive non-enzymatic glucose sensor was developed by decorating this ternary nanohybrid on the working electrode of a screen-printed electrochemical sensor. Cycle sweep voltammetry and amperometry were used to study the electro-catalytic activity of the modified working electrode, which demonstrated superior catalytic activity towards glucose oxidation with an extremely low detection limit of 30 nM. Meanwhile, this sensor showed an excellent selectivity in the presence of interfering species such as uric acid, ascorbic acid, etc. Based on the screen-printed technique, enzyme mimic nanomaterials could be easily introduced into portable devices, which opens the way to take non-enzymatic glucose electrochemical sensing towards point-of-care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the level of sugars in food and beverages is essential because they are related to diseases such as diabetes, and obesity, among others. In this regard, an approach has been designed, characterized, and applied to develop the first all-in-one paper-based microfluidic analytical device for the quantification of sugars in milk samples. In particular, the powerful combination of the paper-based platform, the facile manufacturing, and the on-demand customization, allowed to obtain a stand-alone platform that was capable to store all the reagents necessary for the assay, to treating the sample by removing major interferences due to lipids and proteins, and to visualize the results in minutes. A wax-patterned chromatographic paper was finely designed to provide a reagent-free platform for the use of non-specialists applied towards the analysis of sugars' content (lactose as the main sugar). Sugars were electrochemically quantified down to 0.16 g L−1 with a repeatability of 5%. To strengthen the efficacy of the novel platform, the electrochemical paper-based analytical device has been applied to commercial milk, including skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole, and lactose-free, confirming satisfactory performance with analytical reliability. This paper-based architecture opens novel avenues for portable (bio)sensing of other relevant species, not only in the agri-food field. [Display omitted] • Fully-printed and paper-based electrochemical device for application to sugars in milk. • The structure of chromatographic paper avoids tasks for final users. • The separation of the protein fraction is autonomously performed on the paper-based strip. • High-porous surface of chromatographic paper allows to reduce the time of analysis/reaction. • Everything has been obtained with the use of affordable and in-house procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel reliable and cost-effective potentiometric screen-printed sensors for free bilirubin (BR) detection were presented. The sensors were fabricated using ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) as an ion-to-electron transducer. The ion-association complex [Ni(bphen)3]2+[BR]2− was utilized as a sensory recognition material in the plasticized Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) membrane. The membrane was drop-casted on the OMC layer, which is attached on a carbon conductor (2-mm diameter). In a 50 mM phosphate solution of pH 8.5, the electrodes offered a Nernstian slope of −26.8 ± 1.1 (r2 = 0.9997) mV/decade with a range of linearity 1.0 × 10−6–1 × 10−2 M towards free bilirubin with a detection limit 8.8 × 10−7 M (0.52 µg/mL). The presented sensors offered good features in terms of reliability, ease of design, high potential stability, high specificity and good accuracy and precision. Chronopotentiometric and electrochemical impedance spectrometric measurements were used for short-term potential stability and interfacial capacitance calculations. The sensors were used for the determination of free bilirubin in biological fluids. The data obtained are fairly well consistent with those obtained by the reference spectophotometric method. Based on the interaction of free BR with albumin (1:1), the sensors were also utilized for the assessment of albumin in human serum.

Screen-printing technology has revolutionized many fields, including that of electrochemical biosensing. Due to their current relevance, this review, unlike other papers, discusses the relevant aspects of electrochemical biosensors manufactured using this technology in connection to both paper substrates and wearable formats. The main trends, advances, and opportunities provided by these types of devices, with particular attention to the environmental and biomedical fields, are addressed along with illustrative fundamentals and applications of selected representative approaches from the recent literature. The main challenges and future directions to tackle in this research area are also pointed out.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a global health problem that features a very high mortality rate. The UL16 binding protein 2 (ULBP2) is a new biomarker for PC detection. This study develops a simple, reliable, and inexpensive immunosensor for the detection of the ULBP2 antigen while also investigating the effects of an array configuration of connected sensors and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the immunosensor’s sensitivity. The ULBP2 antibody was immobilized onto the screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) surfaces of three different sensors: a simple SPCE (ULBP2-SPCE); an SPCE array, which is a series of identical SPCE connected to each other at different arrangements of rows and columns (ULBP2-SPCE-1x2 and ULBP2-SPCE-1x3); and an SPCE combined with ZnO nanoparticles (ULBP2-ZnO/SPCE). Impedance spectrum measurements for the immunosensors to ULBP2 antigen were conducted and compared. According to the result, the array configurations (ULBP2-SPCE-1x2 and ULBP2-SPCE-1x3) show an improvement of sensitivity compared to the ULBP2-SPCE alone, but the improvement is not as significant as that of the ULBP2-ZnO/SPCE configuration (ULBP2-ZnO/SPCE > ULBP2-SPCE: 18 times larger). The ULBP2-ZnO/SPCE immunosensor has a low limit of detection (1 pg/mL) and a high sensitivity (332.2 Ω/Log(pg/mL)), excellent linearity (R2 = 0.98), good repeatability (coefficients of variation = 5.03%), and is stable in long-term storage (retaining 95% activity after 28 days storage). In an array configuration, the immunosensor has an increased signal-to-noise ratio (ULBP2-SPCE-1x3 > ULBP2-SPCE: 1.5-fold) and sensitivity (ULBP2-SPCE-1x3 > ULBP2-SPCE: 2.6-fold). In conclusion, either the modification with ZnO nanoparticles onto the sensor or the use of an array configuration of sensors can enhance the immunosensor’s sensitivity. In this study, the best immunosensor for detecting ULBP2 antigens is the ULBP2-ZnO/SPCE immunosensor.

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a known protein biomarker clinically used for the early stages of sepsis diagnosis and therapy guidance. For its reliable determination, sandwich format magnetic bead-based immunoassays with two different electrochemical detection approaches are described: (i) disposable screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPE-C, on-drop detection); (ii) electro-kinetically driven microfluidic chips with integrated Au electrodes (EMC-Au, on-chip detection). Both approaches exhibited enough sensitivity (limit of detection (LOD) of 0.1 and 0.04 ng mL−1 for SPE-C and EMC-Au, respectively; cutoff 0.5 ng mL−1), an adequate working range for the clinically relevant concentrations (0.5–1000 and 0.1–20 ng mL−1 for SPE-C and EMC-Au, respectively), and good precision (RSD < 9%), using low sample volumes (25 µL) with total assay times less than 20 min. The suitability of both approaches was successfully demonstrated by the analysis of human serum and plasma samples, for which good recoveries were obtained (89–120%). Furthermore, the EMC-Au approach enabled the easy automation of the process, constituting a reliable alternative diagnostic tool for on-site/bed-site clinical analysis.

We present n‐type bifacial solar cells with a rear interfacial SiOx/n+:poly‐Si passivating contact ('monoPoly' cells) where the interfacial oxide and n+:poly‐Si layers are fabricated using an industrial inline plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) tool. We demonstrate outstanding passivation quality with dark saturation current density (J0) values of approximately 3 fA/cm2 and implied open‐circuit voltage (iVoc) of 730 mV at 1‐sun conditions after firing in an industrial belt furnace. Using a simple solar cell process flow that can be easily adapted for mass production, a peak cell efficiency of 22.8% with a cell open circuit voltage (Voc) of 696 mV is achieved on large‐area, screen‐printed, Czochralski‐silicon (Cz‐Si) solar cells using commercial fire‐through metal pastes. We present n‐type bifacial solar cells with an interfacial SiOx/n+:poly‐Si passivated rear contact where the interfacial oxide and n+:poly‐Si layers are fabricated using an industrial inline plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) tool. Using a simple solar cell process flow that can be easily adapted for mass production, a peak cell efficiency of 22.8% with a cell open circuit voltage (Voc) of 696 mV is achieved on large‐area, screen‐printed, Czochralski‐silicon (Cz‐Si) solar cells using commercial fire‐through metal pastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Air ambient and composition effects of MoO x were investigated. • Conversion efficiency was found to increase when MoO 2 was exposed to vacuum before Ag evaporation. • Compared with Al contact, the CE improvement of MoO 2.2 /Ag was presented more than 1.1% absolute. • Screen-printed Ag was playing a major role in preventing rapid decay of MoO 2.2 /Ag in air ambient. Abstract Air ambient and composition effects of molybdenum oxides on photovoltaic and physical characteristics of screen-printed mono-crystalline silicon solar cells (SPMSCs) were presented. The conversion efficiency (CE) was found to increase when the specimen of MoO 2 was exposed to vacuum before the silver evaporation. Compared with screen-printed (SP) Al contact, a CE improvement of more than 1.1% absolute from 17.2% to 18.3% in SPMSCs with MoO 2.2 /Ag stacked film as rear hole-selective layer (HSL) was demonstrated. To enhance the reliability of MoO x /Ag HSL, a low-temperature SP silver paste was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper n -type PERT (Passivated Emitter and Rear Totally diffused) silicon wafer solar cells with a diffused boron rear emitter and an implanted phosphorus front surface field are investigated. A key feature of the n -PERT rear emitter cell is that it uses the same sequence of surface passivation, rear local laser ablation and screen-printing processes as a commercial p -type PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact) cell. Therefore, this cell structure is very industrially relevant as it could simplify a production line upgrade from p -type cells to n -type cells. Additionally, ion implantation provides an elegant single-side doping process that further simplifies the processing sequence of n -PERT cells. Ion implantation also provides excellent control over the doping profile via a variation of post-implant annealing time. The effect of annealing time on the implanted phosphorus surface was evaluated in this study in terms of the front surface field dopant profile and its impact on the solar cells’ electrical characteristics. A shallower front surface doping profile resulted in better short wavelength response. Additionally, the performance of two different Al pastes (with and without Si content in the paste) was compared. The better-performing Al-Si paste generates a homogeneous Al- p + region under the contacts, which reduces the recombination at the contacts. By tailoring the phosphorus front surface field profiles and by minimising the recombination during the rear Al contact formation, efficiencies of up to 21% on large area 244 cm 2 n- type wafers were achieved so far. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of a simple, low cost chronoamperometric assay, for the measurement of fructose, using a graphite-nanoparticle modified screen-printed electrode (SPCE-G-COOH). Cyclic voltammetry showed that the response of the SPCE-G-COOH enhanced the sensitivity and precision, towards the enzymatically generated ferrocyanide species, over a plain SPCE; therefore the former was employed in subsequent studies. Calibration studies were carried out using chronoamperometry with a 40 µl mixture containing fructose, mediator and FDH, deposited onto the SPCE-G-COOH. The response was linear from 0.1 mM to 1.0 mM. A commercial fruit juice sample was analysed using the developed assay and the fructose concentration was calculated to be 477 mM with a precision of 3.03% (n = 5). Following fortification (477 mM fructose) the mean recovery was found to be 97.12% with a coefficient of variation of 6.42% (n = 5); consequently, the method holds promise for the analysis of commercial fruit juices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-solid-state potentiometric sensors were prepared by using polyaniline (PANI) as the solid contact material. A film of PANI (thickness approximately being 0.25 µm) was deposited on a solid substrate (carbon screen printed platform). The PANI layer was subsequently coated with an ion-selective membrane (ISM) containing uniform-sized molecularly imprinted nanoparticles to produce a solid-contact ion-selective electrode (SC/ISE) for bispyribac herbicide (sensor I). In addition, aliquat 336 was also used as an ion exchanger in plasticized PVC membrane (sensor II). The proposed sensors revealed a remarkably improved sensitivity towards bispyribac ions with anionic slopes of −47.8 ± 1.1 (r2 = 0.9995) and −44.4 ± 1.4 (r2 = 0.9997) mV/decade over a linear range 1.0 × 10−2⁻8.6 × 10−6 M, 1.0 × 10−2⁻9.0 × 10−6 M and detection limits of 1.33 and 1.81 µg/mL for sensors I and II, respectively.Selectivity of both sensors is significantly high for different common pesticides and inorganic anions. The potential stability of the SC/ISEs was studied using chronopotentiometry. Electrochemical impedance spectrometry was used to understand the charge-transfer mechanisms of the different types of ion-selective electrodes studied. The impedance response of the electrodes was modelled by using equivalent electrical circuits. The sensors were used for a direct measurement of the bispyribac content in commercial herbicide formulations and soil samples collected from agricultural lands planted with rice and sprayed with bispyribac herbicide. The results agree fairly well with data obtained using HPLC method.

Thermocouples classically consist of two metals or semiconductor components that are joined at one end, where temperature is measured. Carbon black is a low-cost semiconductor with a Seebeck coefficient that depends on the structure of the carbon particles. Different carbon black screen-printing inks generally exhibit different Seebeck coefficients, and two can therefore be combined to realize a thermocouple. In this work, we used a set of four different commercially available carbon-black screen-printing inks to print all-carbon-black thermocouples. The outputs of these thermocouples were characterized and their Seebeck coefficients determined. We found that the outputs of pure carbon-black thermocouples are reasonably stable, linear, and quantitatively comparable to those of commercially available R- or S-type thermocouples. It is thus possible to fabricate thermocouples by an easily scalable, cost-efficient process that combines two low-cost materials.

This paper describes a procedure for the determination of antimony (III) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry using a mercury film screen-printed electrode as the working electrode. The procedure has been optimized using experimental design methodology. Under these conditions, in terms of Residual Standard Deviation (RSD), the repeatability (3.81 %) and the reproducibility (5.07 %) of the constructed electrodes were both analyzed. The detection limit for Sb (III) was calculated at a value of 1.27×10–8 M. The linear range obtained was between 0.99 × 10–8 – 8.26 × 10–8 M. An analysis of possible effects due to the presence of foreign ions in the solution was performed and the procedure was successfully applied to the determination of antimony levels in pharmaceutical preparations and sea water samples.

A sealed and sticky surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate was fabricated by screen-printed technology. The screen-printed ink was prepared by mixing poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) and photoinitiator. After printed on Supporting material, PEGDA can polymerize into film under UV light illumination. Ag-NPs were sealed and protected by this film. SERS signal of 10−12 M rhodamine 6G has been recorded on this substrate. The homogeneity of this substrate was examined by mapping experiments, and the relative standard deviation of the signals from 48 points was within 10 %, indicating high uniformity of this substrate. Upon coupling with thin layer chromatography (TLC), this sticky SERS substrate can be in thorough contact with the separated targets on TLC plates and stick to them firmly by pressing a cover, which was effective for improving the detection sensitivity. This coupling technology exhibited good performance for determination of thiabendazole in complex matrix with a detection limit of 0.01 μg/mL. [Display omitted] • Adhesive and flexible SERS substrates have been fabricated in batch by screen-printed technology, achieving a highly reproducible and controllable preparation. • The SERS substrates can in tight contact with targets on TLC plate by pressing of a glass slide. • The sticky substrates had high adhesiveness to capture targets on TLC plate, achieving a highly sensitive SERS detection. • LOD of this substrate was 5.8 * 10−12 M (R6G) and the EF was ∼ 108. This substrate exhibited good performance for detection of thiabendazole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric materials are of high interest for many applications, e.g. vibrations measurement, active vibration control or vibration-based damage detection in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). In this paper, thin electroded microceramics of piezoelectric material are straightforward fabricated thanks to the association of the screen-printing technology to the sacrificial layer method. After subsequent printing and drying of a stack of sacrificial, Au, PZT and Au layers on a substrate, piezoelectric disks are fired at 900 °C and then released from the substrate. Studies of the electromechanical behaviour of these components obviously show the influence of the sacrificial layer composition on their densification and consequently their piezoelectric properties, favourable for detection of vibrations and SHM applications. Moreover, printing process might lead to lower cost of microceramics implementation than traditional ceramic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes recent advances in the fabrication of electrochemical (bio)sensors based on screen-printing technology involving carbon materials and their application in biomedical, agri-food and environmental analyses. It will focus on the various strategies employed in the fabrication of screen-printed (bio)sensors, together with their performance characteristics; the application of these devices for the measurement of selected naturally occurring biomolecules, environmental pollutants and toxins will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the successful implementation of industrially feasible local B doping as a local back surface field via the Si paste technology to fabricate high-efficiency solar cells. Si paste formed by 25 wt% p-type Si nanoparticles and 75 wt% organic solvent is used as the B source. Si paste is fully screen-printed on the preprocessed p-type Si rear surface, and then a homogenous Si cladding layer is formed by picosecond laser cladding. During this process, B diffuses into the Si substrate. The Si cladding layer itself is a heavily doped layer and forms a metallurgical bond between Si substrate. After co-firing with Al paste, cells obviously avoid Kirkendall void formation at contact regions. The heavily doped Si cladding layer and localized B doping can decrease the contact resistance and reduce the minority carrier recombination at the local metal contacts. This optimized rear surface design finally contributes to push the overall average cell efficiency over 20.3% on p-type CZ wafers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the implementation of carrier-selective tunnel oxide passivated rear contact for high-efficiency screen-printed large area n-type front junction crystalline Si solar cells. It is shown that the tunnel oxide grown in nitric acid at room temperature (25°C) and capped with n+ polysilicon layer provides excellent rear contact passivation with implied open-circuit voltage iVoc of 714 mV and saturation current density J0b′ of 10.3 fA/cm2 for the back surface field region. The durability of this passivation scheme is also investigated for a back-end high temperature process. In combination with an ion-implanted Al2O3-passivated boron emitter and screen-printed front metal grids, this passivated rear contact enabled 21.2% efficient front junction Si solar cells on 239 cm2 commercial grade n-type Czochralski wafers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A disposable screen-printed multi channel taste sensor composed of several types of lipid as transducers and a computer as data analyzer could detect taste in a manner similar to human gustatory sensation. The disposable taste sensor was used to measure the electrical potential resulted from the interaction between lipid membranes and taste substances. In the present study, two types of packaged commercial milk, the ultra high temperature (UHT) and the pasteurized milk were tested. It was found that the disposable taste sensor is capable to discriminate reliably between fresh and spoiled milk and to follow the deterioration of the milk quality when it is stored at room temperature based on a pattern recognition principle namely Principle Component Analysis (PCA). This research could provide a new monitoring method ideally for simple and cheap decentralized testing for controlling the quality of milk, which may be of great use in the dairy industries.

Stretching and bending are the two most prevalent deformations during the service of wearable electronic devices that increase the demand for conductivity. However, the fabrication of fully flexible electronics with both satisfactory mechanical properties and conductivity remains a considerable technological challenge. In this paper, a flexible electrode of polyamide (PA) substrate, with negative Poisson's ratio structure (NPR), is manufactured based on chiral structure by synergistically combining structural optimization and screen-printed technology. Results from finite element analyses (FEA) and experiment tests demonstrate that flexible electrodes with optimized U-shaped NPR structure can effectively boost mechanical properties (the maximum stretching and bending stresses are reduced by 67 % and 71 % respectively) and conductivity (the resistance is only 4.1 Ω at 180°, 4.5 Ω after 1000 cycles, 20.3 Ω at 20 % strain). Especially, the electrode is still conductive at a strain of 40 %. Comparing recorded electrocardiography (ECG) signals of various electrodes successfully demonstrated the electrode prepared herein has superior accuracy, good stability and great potential in long-term health monitoring (max Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) can reach 34.9 dB). The strategy proposed here is expected to make major contributions to the development and application of flexible electrodes with high properties. • Flexible electrode with optimized U-shaped NPR structure can effectively boost the mechanical properties and conductivity. • Maximum stretching and bending stresses are reduced by 67 % and 71 % respectively; Resistance is only 4.1 Ω at 180°, 4.5 Ω after 1000 cycles, 20.3 Ω at 20 % strain, and electrode is still conductive under 40 % strain. • Recording and comparison of electrocardiography (ECG) signals for various electrodes successfully exhibited the electrode prepared in this study has superior accuracy, long-term stability and great potential in health monitoring fields (Max Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) can reach 34.9 dB). • In summary, the strategy proposed here is expected to greatly contribute to the development and applications of high-performance flexible electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of an electrochemical assay based on screen-printed carbon sensors for the determination of clonazepam in serum and in wine. The cyclic voltammetric behaviour of the drug was investigated and the effects of pH and scan rate on the peak current and peak potential determined. Two reduction peaks were recorded on the initial negative going scan, which were considered to result from the 2e – , 2 H + reduction of the 4,5-azomethine and from the 4e – , 4 H + reduction of the 7-NO 2 to a hydroxylamine. On the return positive going scan an oxidation peak was seen, which was considered to result from the 2e – , 2 H + oxidation (O1) of the hydroxylamine to the corresponding nitroso species. At pH 11 the solution of clonazepam was found to turn from clear to yellow in colour and the voltammetric signal of the O1 oxidation process was found to be adsorptive in nature, this was exploited in the development of an adsorptive stripping voltammetric assay. Experimental conditions were then optimised for the differential pulse adsorptive voltammetric measurement of clonazepam in wine and serum samples. It was shown that these analyses could be performed on only 100 µL of sample which was deposited on the sensor surface. Mean recoveries of 79.53% (%CV=9.88%) and 88.22% (%CV=14.1%) were calculated for wine fortified with 3.16 µg/mL and serum fortified with 12.6 µg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a screen-printed piezoelectric cantilever coated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as sensitive layer is used as a resonant type gas sensor. In parallel, the resistance of the CNT layer is measured in static mode thanks to a modification of the cantilever top electrode. Positive and negative shifts of the resonance frequency are observed at low and high gas concentrations, respectively. These are attributed to stress or to mass effects becoming dominant at low or high gas concentration levels. Monitoring the resistance of the p -type CNT film helps discriminating gases/ vapours according to their oxidizing or reducing character. The responses towards benzene, CO and NO 2 concentrations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new screen-printed potentiometric microsensor (SPMS) for the determination of anionic surfactants (ASs) based on the dimethyldioctadecylammonium-tetraphenylborate (DDA-TPB) ion pair as a sensing material was applied to real industrial effluents. The sensor is accurate, inexpensive, simple and very sensitive. The solutions of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) of the concentrations down to 5·10-5 mol dm-3 were used as a titrant. Standard addition method was used for checking the precision and accuracy of measurements providing satisfactory results with recoveries between 98.3 to 102.0% in pure AS solutions and 99.0 to 114.5% in wastewater. Standard spectrophotometric method Methylene Blue Active Substances (MBAS) was used as control for comparison of the results obtained with the new sensor. The results obtained using SPMS were compared with those obtained by the polymeric membrane ion-selective electrodes (ISEs), containing the same sensing material, and exhibited good mutual agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) containing the electrocatalyst Meldola's Blue (MB) has been investigated as the base transducer for a reagentless glutamate biosensor. The biopolymer chitosan (CHIT) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used to encapsulate the enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) and the co-factor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ). The biosensor was fabricated by sequentially depositing the components on the surface of the transducer (MB-SPCE) in a layer-by-layer process, details of which are included in the paper. Each layer was optimised to construct the reagentless device. The biosensor was used in conjunction with amperometry in stirred solution using an applied potential of +0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Optimum conditions for the analysis of glutamate were found to be: temperature, 35 °C; phosphate buffer, pH 7 (0.75 mM, containing 0.05 M NaCl). The linear range of the reagentless biosensor was found to be 7.5–105 μM, and limit of detection was found to be 3 μM (based on n = 5, CV: 8.5% based on three times signal to noise) and the sensitivity was 0.39 nA/μM (±0.025, coefficient of variation (CV) of 6.37%, n = 5). The response time of the biosensor was 20–30 s. A food sample was analysed for monosodium glutamate (MSG). The endogenous content of MSG was 90.56 mg/g with a CV of 7.52%. The reagentless biosensor was also used to measure glutamate in serum. The endogenous concentration of glutamate was found to be 1.44 mM ( n = 5), CV: 8.54%. The recovery of glutamate in fortified serum was 104% ( n = 5), CV of 2.91%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addressed the preparation, characterization, and assay of a screen-printed electrode (SPE) modified with the Ce3+ doped-CuO nanocomposite for the voltammetric detection of sulfite ions. Therefore, the dimension of the new nanocomposite and its morphology were verified by characterization analyses such as energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). According to cyclic voltammetry (CV), the oxidation of the sulfite at the Ce3+-doped CuO/SPE followed an irreversible and diffusion-controlled mechanism. The results indicated that the new electrode exhibited good electrocatalytic activities towards sulfite oxidation, based on which an electrochemical sensor was presented to detect sulfite. In addition, Ce3+-doped CuO/SPE showed a wide linear range between 0.6 and 400 μM with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.08 μM to detect sulfite. Finally, this new approach was applied for determining sulfite in real samples, reflecting its utility as one of the cheap analytical tools to control product quality. • Ce3+-doped CuO as a new nanocomposite was synthesized. • An electrochemical sensor for the detection of sulfite was fabricated. • Ce3+-doped CuO/SPE showed excellent electrochemical oxidation towards sulfite. • This sensor showed a low detection limit and wide linear range for sulfite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review describes recent advances in the fabrication of electrochemical (bio)sensors based on screen-printing technology involving carbon materials and their application in biomedical, agri-food and environmental analyses. It will focus on the various strategies employed in the fabrication of screen-printed (bio)sensors, together with their performance characteristics; the application of these devices for the measurement of selected naturally occurring biomolecules, environmental pollutants and toxins will be discussed.

Abstract: Aluminum pastes (APs) with various silicate glasses (SGs) have been synthesized to enhance physical and electrical characteristics of screen-printed multi-crystalline silicon solar cells (SPMSSCs). The improved back surface field (BSF) and decreased tortoise-shell veins were demonstrated by suitably Si–Bi–B-doped Si–Bi–Ti-based oxide SGs in APs. The promoted mechanism could be attributed to the circulating track supplied from binary SGs softened in APs during co-firing. The achievement of a conversion efficiency improvement of more than 1.34% absolute from 16.01% to 17.35% in SPMSSCs with a binary Si–Bi–Ti of 1wt% and Si–Bi–B of 3wt% SGs in AP was explored. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This work describes the development of an ELIME (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoMagnetic Electrochemical) assay for a sensitive detection of specific IgE (sIgE) towards the aeroallergens G5 and D2 in serum samples. The system, with a detection limit of 0.1 KIU/L, uses magnetic beads as support of the immunological chain and a strip of eight-magnetized screen-printed electrodes, connected to a portable instrument, for a multiplexed detection. The analysis of 46 serum samples performed using both the ELIME and the Immulite 2000 assays, suggests that our method is able to measure very low concentration of sIgE and to discriminate all positive samples from negative ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]